Chloe watched in shock as Cassandra took Elle’s ponytail in her other hand and started cutting it off. Hearing Elle cry as Cassandra snipped away, the tears started to brim her own eyes.
What have I done? was the only thing that went through her mind.
“A girl like you doesn’t need long, pretty hair like this, anyway,” Cassandra told Elle as she waved Elle’s own ponytail in her face.
Sitting up once they’d released her, Elle began to cry into her legs, holding them tightly in front of her.
Chloe could barely hold it together when Elle looked up at her with a now butchered haircut and tears.
“Sorry,” she managed to get out quietly without breaking down with her.
Running out of the locker room to follow in her best friend’s footsteps and leaving Elle there on the floor bawling like that was the hardest thing she had ever done at that point in her life.
I’m so sorry, Elle …
Little had Chloe known, she was going to leave Elle in a much worse condition just a few short weeks later behind the school. She hated the part she had played that day, though, and she still apologized to her every time she noticed how long and pretty her strawberry blonde locks were getting. The length had been fully returned to her, and Chloe noticed how protective she had become over her hair, not even wanting a trim.
Cassandra was pure evil from that moment forward, along with her brother Sebastian, and after what had happened in the cafeteria, they were one word: F.U.C.K.E.D.
Brrring.
Watching the students swiftly leave the classroom to go home for the day, she waited anxiously for Elle to return safely.
However, she wasn’t expecting Mr. Evans to be the one to enter the classroom first.
Taking a seat at one of the desks in front of her, he seemed like he was almost careful about it.
Seeing him closer than she usually did, she could tell why almost every girl at the school was secretly in love with him. He certainly didn’t look like any other teacher here with his short, kempt, dirty blond hair and beard. His eyes matched perfectly, seeming almost golden. Not to mention, he was clearly built under his well-dressed clothes.
“You’re not running out the door to leave?” Mr. Evans asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.
“N-no, I-I-”
“Are you shaken up after what happened earlier?”
Oh, gosh. Chloe shoved her hands to her face, not wanting to talk about this with him. The last thing she wanted to do was run her mouth about Cassandra.
See, Mr. Evans was new this year and had no clue how this school worked yet. The Ross’s practically owned this school, and the teachers all looked the other way when it came to them. As a result, talking about it with him was only going to bring more danger to her.
She needed to think of an out quickly.
Elle abruptly entered the room, concern apparent in her voice. “Chloe, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine, El—” She looked up and her eyes grew as wide as her stomach. Elle had something stained all over her clothes. “Are you okay? What happened?” Standing up, she went over to her.
Elle glanced at Mr. Evans. “Um, I accidentally spilled paint on myself in Art. What are you all talking about?”
“I was just passing by and saw Chloe in here by herself, so I was making sure everything was okay. Usually, the kids are practically one foot out the door before the last bell even rings.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. She’s my ride, and I just told her we would meet up in here,” Elle told him as he walked up toward them.
“How come you met up here and not in your Art class? The Art class is all the way at the front of the school by the outside door,” he asked curiously, but by his facial expression, it seemed like he already knew.
“I guess we didn’t think about it like that. I’ll see you in the morning, Mr. Evans. Come on, Chloe; I need to get ready for work.”
Feeling very uncomfortable with where this conversation was going, she gladly followed Elle out.
When Mr. Evans decided to give parting words, Elle stopped to look at him.
“Elle, if you ever need to talk, you know where to find me. Try and be more careful in Art. Next time, it might not be paint that spills.”
A chill touched Chloe’s skin at his warning.
“Have a good night, Mr. Evans,” Elle told him as they left the classroom for good this time.
She waited until they’d reached the outside to talk. “So, who spilled the paint? And dang, all over your outfit. That one was my favorite on you.” It really was. The big white sweater and her light jeans really brought out her tan skin and big blue eyes.
Elle’s closet was not only limited in quantity, but also quality. She got the majority of her clothes at the local Goodwill, but you wouldn’t ever know. Only the students here did because the only thing that mattered to them was how expensive the clothes they wore were.
“One of Cassandra’s sidekicks.”
Immediately, she knew it was one of her carbon copies: Stephanie or Stacy. They had definitely replaced her as Cassandra’s BFF. She noticed Stephanie cozied up to no one other than Nero of course.
“Which one? Her?”
They could hear Stephanie and Nero speaking as they reached the school parking lot.
“Nero, would you mind giving me a ride home? I rode with Cassandra this morning,” Stephanie said overly sweetly as she leaned against his Cadillac.
Nero quickly looked her up and down, revealing what they expected to do. “No problem, babe. Leo, let’s go!”